Some dragons are friendly, at least to the point of holding conversations with the player

Some level of economic simulation is in, with the prices of goods reflecting the state of the world

Blowing wind will whip up the surface of bodies of water

Lockpicking: still a minigame

In addition to the five major cities, there will be eight or nine smaller settlements to visit

You can buy houses again

Children will appear in some form in-game

The report originally had a tidbit about planned Facebook integration, which was shot down by Bethesda marketing guy Pete Hines. Hines did not make any move to deny the rest of the report, so my guess for now is that it's legit. It's legit, see below.

No huge surprises here, though I'm curious how Bethesda is approaching the problem posed by the presence of children in the go-anywhere, do-anything world of The Elder Scrolls. If it were me, I'd probably go with "avenging god immediately lightning bolts your face off" as a solution to anyone who harms a child.

We've reached out to Bethesda for comment and will update this story with any new information. A Bethesda spokesperson has confirmed that the information is legit. Fans rejoice! I know you were all dying to know about lockpicking.